Wire rope and pulley devices are used in various machines. To use these machines more safely, it is necessary to analyze the behavior of the contact between them. In this study, we represent a wire rope by a numerical model of a flexible body. This flexible body is expressed in the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF), and the model includes the normal contact force and the frictional f...

Introduction: Intranodal pathways of atrioventricular (AV) node play a vital role in the delay of conduction time in response to various atrial inputs. The present study was aimed to determine the frequency-dependent electrophysiological properties of concealed slow pathway according to a functional model of isolated rabbit atrioventricular node preparation after fast pathway ablation. Meth...

The correct distribution and activity of secreted signaling proteins called morphogens is required for many developmental processes. Nodal morphogens play critical roles in embryonic axis formation in many organisms. Models proposed to generate the Nodal gradient include diffusivity, ligand processing, and a temporal activation window. But how the Nodal morphogen gradient forms in vivo remains ...

Secreted TGFbeta proteins of the Nodal family pattern the vertebrate body axes and induce mesoderm and endoderm . Nodal proteins can act as morphogens , but the mechanisms regulating their activity and signaling range are poorly understood. In particular, it has been unclear how inefficient processing or rapid turnover of the Nodal protein influences autocrine and paracrine signaling properties...

Growth factor signaling is essential for pattern formation, growth, differentiation, and maintenance of stem cell pluripotency. Nodal-related signaling factors are required for axis formation and germ layer specification from sea urchins to mammals. Maternal transcripts of the zebrafish Nodal factor, Squint (Sqt), are localized to future embryonic dorsal. The mechanisms by which maternal sqt/no...

  Introduction : The aim of this study is to obtain new insight into possible relation between functional properties of slow concealed pathway and rate-dependent properties of AV-node.   Methods : Rate-dependent nodal properties of recovery, facilitation, and fatigue were characterized by stimulation protocols in one groups of (N=7) isolated superfused AV-Nodal rabbits. Small miniature lesions ...

Nodal is a member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily that plays critical roles during embryogenesis. Recent studies in ovarian, breast, prostate, and skin cancer cells suggest that Nodal also regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion in cancer cells. However, it appears to exert both tumor-suppressing and tumor-promoting effects, depending on the cell type. To f...

Metastatic melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer associated with poor prognosis. The reactivation of the embryonic morphogen Nodal in metastatic melanoma has previously been shown to regulate the aggressive behavior of these tumor cells. During the establishment of left-right asymmetry in early vertebrate development, Nodal expression is specifically regulated by aNotch signaling pathway.Wehypo...

Nodal is considered the key inducer of mesendoderm in vertebrate embryos and embryonic stem cells. Other TGF-beta-related signals, such as Vg1/Dvr1/Gdf3, have also been implicated in this process but their roles have been unclear or controversial. Here we report that zebrafish embryos without maternally provided vg1 fail to form endoderm and head and trunk mesoderm, and closely resemble nodal l...

With the development of deregulated power systems and increase of prices in some hours of day and increase fuel price, demand response programs were noticed more by customers. demand response consists of a series of activities that governments or utilities design to change the amount or time of electric energy consumption, to achieve better social welfare or some times for maximizing the benefi...